A poll for those with Seborrheic Dermatitis: Let's get to the bottom of this!

Although I've only had Seb Derm for about 7 months, it has taken hold of almost every aspect of my life. My confidence has been shattered and I feel more depressed with each day.

Like many of you, I fear the first look in the mirror each morning. I fear leaving the house everyday because I never know how my Seb Derm will look minute to minute. I'm constantly looking for a close bathroom just to check my face. My social life has gone to hell; I rarely go out with friends because of the effect alcohol has. My diet is so restricted that I cannot even go out to eat without worrying about how much white flour and Sugar is in each bite. Our doctors prescribe steroid creams that lead to long term damage and most of the time don't work! THIS IS NO WAY TO LIVE!

I know all of you feel this; we try to maintain our daily routines and stay happy and optimistic, but one slip in diet or regimen and it's back to square one! I want to get to the bottom of this, the CAUSE and CURE of Seb Derm, but I need your help. First, some info about me.

I'm a 23 year old male. I believe I got Seb Derm because of a few medical problems in my life. At 13, I was diagnosed with a kidney disease called IgA Nephropathy. I was on a horrible steroid called Prednisone for 5 years, until I elected to go off of it because of the long term side effects and questionable help with my disease. At 20, my kidney function rapidly deteriorated and I was forced to get a transplant in March 2006. Post transplant, I was put of a heavy dose of immunosuppressants, which I continue (at a much lower dose) today. I was also put on a moderate dose of Antibiotics (!), which I continued until my official diagnosis with SD. If anything, this all taught me to be proactive in my own healthcare, ask as many questions as you can possibly think of, and to challenge both contemporary medicine and your doctors. Because, as we all well know, they DO NOT know everything.

Based on my research, those with suppressed immune systems are more susceptible to diseases like SD. Those who have been on heavy doses of Antibiotics are also more at risk. Since Antibiotics kill the bacteria inside your body (both good and bad), much of what I've read has led to the digestive tract (where most bacteria resides). A yeast, Malassezia, has been implicated in SD. This yeast is a fungus, which is why SD responds to anti-fungal treatments (Pau D'arco, Caprylic Acid, and the creams the doctors give us), as well as diet changes (eliminating Sugar and white flour, both of which feed yeast). HOWEVER, as we all know, these treatments are temporary solutions to a bigger problem.

The fact that these treatments, all of which require some change in what you eat or drink, actually do work, is evidence enough to me that the cause and thus cure for SD lies in the DIGESTIVE SYSTEM.

Now, I've done quite a bit of research since my diagnosis, as many of you have. I filtered through hundreds of posts around the internet in order to find a cause and cure for SD. I've noticed some common elements throughout my research, and I want to ask all of you a few questions to see if we can find some common themes and zero in on a more concrete description of SD. Here they are:

THE QUESTIONS

1. What health problems did you already have when you were diagnosed with Seborrheic Dermatitis ?

2. What health problems did you develop after your diagnosis with SD?

3. How much exposure did you have to antibiotics in the year leading up to your diagnosis of SD?

4. Is there anyone that did not take any antibiotics whatsoever in the year preceding their diagnosis?

5. Is there anyone here with SD that has never taken antibiotics?

6. Does anyone believe that antibiotics have absolutely nothing to do with SD? If so, why?

7. For those of you that have taken antibiotics at some point since your diagnosis, have you noticed any worsening during the course of taking them? Or did a bad outbreak of SD follow a course of antibiotics?

8. How many of you are on immunosuppressive medicine? If so, did you develop SD after beginning this medicine?

9. Do you have any digestive problems? (I know this is a little personal, but it's important. Irregular bowel movements, loose stool, diarrhea, etc.)

10. Finally, what are your personal methods in keeping SD under control? (Please keep this short. I know we could all go on forever, but summarize it in a few concise sentences.)

This is just the first wave of questions. I think it will take more to gradually zero in on some real facts. These are mostly geared toward antibiotics because I believe that the disruption in the balance of good/bad bacteria is the cause of my SD. Basically, a massive yeast infection. I believe this because I've had success in the using anti-fungal methods I mentioned above.

Also, gotta say this: I AM NOT A DOCTOR AND NONE OF THE ABOVE IS SCIENTIFIC FACT. IT'S ALL THEORY BASED ON BOTH RESEARCH AND MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE. I'M JUST A REGULAR DUDE TRYING TO FIND A SOLUTION TO THIS DISEASE THAT AFFECTS US ALL. BUT I BELIEVE WE CAN DO IT! IF ANYONE THINKS OF ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, SUBMIT THEM! AND TRY TO KEEP YOUR ANSWERS SHORT AND TO THE POINT AND LET'S FIND SOME INFO!

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